CN115879112A - Image forming control method and device, image forming device and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of image forming, and an embodiment of the application provides an image forming device, an image forming control method, an image forming control device, a computer storage medium and an electronic device, which are used for solving the problem of information security caused by malicious attack on security management data stored in the image forming device in the prior art, and the image forming device comprises: a first storage unit, arranged inside the image forming control unit, for storing first security management data; a second storage unit provided outside the image formation control unit and storing second security management data; wherein a security level of the first security management data is higher than a security level of the second security management data.

Description

Image forming control method and device, image forming device and electronic equipment

[ technical field ] A method for producing a semiconductor device

The present invention relates to the field of image forming technology, and in particular, to an image forming control method, an image forming control apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an electronic device, and a computer storage medium.

[ background of the invention ]

In the prior art, with the development of image forming technology, image forming apparatuses are increasingly used in offices and daily life, and common image forming apparatuses include, but are not limited to, printers, copiers, scanners, facsimile machines, or multi-function machines integrating one or more functions of printing, copying, scanning, and faxing.

With the progress of electronic science and technology, image forming apparatuses have become more and more mature, but as a computer peripheral, the image forming apparatuses are vulnerable to attacks by lawless persons such as hackers, for example, stealing security management data related to users, such as user operation data and user configuration data, stored inside the image forming apparatuses, which causes information security problems.

[ application contents ]

In view of the above, embodiments of the present application provide an image forming control method, an image forming control apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an electronic device, and a computer storage medium, which are used to solve the information security problem caused by malicious attack on security management data stored inside the image forming apparatus in the prior art.

A first aspect of the present application provides an image forming apparatus comprising:

a first storage unit, arranged inside the image forming control unit, for storing first security management data;

a second storage unit provided outside the image formation control unit, for storing second security management data; wherein a security level of the first security management data is higher than a security level of the second security management data.

A second aspect of the present application provides an image formation control method including:

acquiring safety management data corresponding to a preset user;

acquiring security level data corresponding to the preset user;

and storing the safety management data in a storage unit corresponding to the safety level based on the safety level data.

The third aspect of the present application provides an image formation control apparatus comprising:

the first acquisition unit is used for acquiring safety management data corresponding to a preset user;

the second acquisition unit is used for acquiring the security level data corresponding to the preset user;

and the control unit is used for storing the safety management data in a storage unit corresponding to the safety level based on the safety level data.

A fourth aspect of the present application provides an image forming apparatus including the image formation control apparatus provided in the third aspect.

A fifth aspect of the present application provides a computer storage medium comprising a stored computer program, wherein an apparatus on which the storage medium is located is controlled to execute the image formation control method provided by the second aspect when the program runs.

A sixth aspect of the present application provides an electronic device comprising a memory for storing information including program instructions and a processor for controlling execution of the program instructions, the program instructions being loaded and executed by the processor to implement the steps of the image formation control method provided by the second aspect.

Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme at least has the following beneficial effects:

1. the security management data is stored in different types of storage units in the image forming device according to the security levels, so that the security management data with different security levels are different in difficulty in being attacked, and the security problem caused by malicious attack on the security management data stored in the image forming device is avoided.

2. For the access of the security management data with higher security level, user identity authentication is required to be executed, and the access of the security management data is allowed only if the user identity authentication meets the preset requirement, so that the information security problem caused by random access of the security management data with higher security level is avoided.

3. The security management data is encrypted and stored, and the storage security levels corresponding to different security management data are different, so that the information security problem caused by random access of the security management data can be effectively avoided.

4. Different security policies are set for security management data with different security levels, so that the information security problem caused by random access of the security management data can be effectively avoided.

5. And storing the security management data with higher security level in the readable partition to avoid malicious tampering of the security management data.

6. The distributed storage of the security management data caused by different user authorities of the security management data of different users can increase the difficulty of centralized stealing of the data, thereby being beneficial to enhancing the security protection capability of the security management data.

[ description of the drawings ]

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of storage of security management data according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a security policy corresponding to security management data according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart of an image formation control method according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[ detailed description ] embodiments

For better understanding of the technical solutions of the present application, the following detailed descriptions of the embodiments of the present application are provided with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be understood that the embodiments described are only a few embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the image forming apparatus is used to execute image forming jobs such as generating, printing, receiving, and transmitting image data, and examples of the image forming apparatus include: an inkjet printer, a laser printer, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) printer, a copier, a facsimile, a scanner, or a multifunction Peripheral (MFP) that performs the above functions in a single device. The image forming apparatus includes an image formation control unit for controlling the entire image forming apparatus, and an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet conveyed under the control of the image formation control unit based on image data.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application; referring to fig. 1, as an example of an image forming apparatus, an image forming unit of the image forming apparatus may include: a developer accommodating portion 11, a developing member 12, a developer conveying member 13, a photosensitive member 14, a transfer member 15, and a fixing assembly 5. The paper to be printed moves in the paper feeding direction, sequentially passes through the powder feeding operation of the developer conveying member 13, the developing operation of the developing member 12, reaches the nip region between the photosensitive member 14 and the transfer member 15 for transfer, and then passes through the fixing assembly 5 for fixing, to complete the image forming operation.

The developer accommodating portion 11 is used for accommodating a developer, which may be toner, carbon powder, or other materials; the photosensitive member 14 includes: a photosensitive drum (OPC), a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum, and the like; the charging and developing means 12 may include a developing roller or the like for conveying the developer to the photosensitive drum; the developer conveying member 13 may include a powder feed roller or the like for conveying the developer toward the developing device 12, or may be replaced with a member such as a powder feed screw or the like.

Generally, at least one consumable is detachably installed in an image forming apparatus, and taking the image forming apparatus shown in fig. 1 as an example, the image forming apparatus is detachably installed with 4 consumables (consumables 1, 2, 3, and 4,4 are respectively used for providing the image forming apparatus with developers of four colors, namely black K, cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y).

In the prior art, image forming apparatuses are widely used, but the image forming apparatuses are also attacked maliciously, and particularly, safety management data related to users, such as user data and user configuration data, stored in a storage unit built in the image forming apparatuses are attacked, so that information safety problems are easily caused.

The user data specifically includes user document data and user function data, where the user document data refers to all information of a user document processed by the image forming apparatus, and includes: original data being scanned or copied, electronic document contents to be printed, image data obtained by scanning or faxing, printed documents outputted, and data remaining or stored in a hard disk or other storage device; the user function data refers to information about a service processed by the image forming apparatus, and includes a job instruction and a job status.

The user configuration data specifically includes data on audit log data, parameter configuration, and the like, of the user operating the image forming apparatus.

For convenience of explanation, the user data and the user configuration data are collectively referred to as security management data in the following.

In order to solve the above technical problem, embodiments of the present application provide a solution to regulate access to security management data built in an image forming apparatus.

The embodiment of the application provides an image forming device, and various storage units for storing data are arranged in the image forming device, wherein the storage units include, but are not limited to, a storage unit built in an image forming control unit, a storage unit built in a flash memory, a storage unit built in other control units arranged on a circuit substrate, a storage unit built in a removable storage medium such as a U disk and other storage units.

Specifically, the image formation control unit may be only a main control chip provided on a data control board provided in the image forming apparatus, or may include a main control chip provided on a data control board in the image forming apparatus and a main control chip provided on an engine control board in the image forming apparatus.

Further, when the image forming control unit is a main control chip provided on a data control board provided in the image forming apparatus, the control chip provided on the engine control board may be the other control unit provided on the circuit substrate.

In addition, each type of storage unit has different characteristics, such as a relatively small storage space and a high replacement cost for the storage unit built in the image formation control unit; aiming at a storage unit built in a flash memory, the storage space is relatively large, and the replacement cost is low; for other memory units arranged in the control unit on the circuit substrate, the memory is relatively small, and the replacement cost is high; with respect to a storage unit built in a removable storage medium, the storage space thereof is relatively large and is easily removed from the image forming apparatus.

Based on the above characteristics, as shown in fig. 2, an embodiment of the present application provides an image forming apparatus including:

a first storage unit 21, provided inside the image formation control unit, for storing first security management data;

a second storage unit 22 provided outside the image formation control unit, for storing second security management data;

the security level corresponding to the first security management data is higher than the security level corresponding to the second security management data.

The second storage unit 21 includes at least one of a storage unit built in the flash memory, a storage unit built in another control unit provided on the circuit board, a storage unit built in the removable storage medium, and another storage unit.

The security level corresponding to the first and second security management data is related to the security level of the corresponding user, and the security level of the user related to the first security management data is higher than the security level of the second security management data.

In one possible implementation, as shown in fig. 3, when the second storage unit 22 includes:

a third storage unit 220 included in the flash memory, for storing third security management data;

a fourth storage unit 221 for storing fourth security management data;

wherein a security level of the third security management data is higher than a security level of the fourth security management data.

The fourth storage unit includes at least one of a storage unit built in the control unit and other storage units provided on the circuit board, a storage unit built in the removable storage medium, and other storage units.

The security level corresponding to the third and fourth security management data is related to the security level of the corresponding user, and the security level of the user related to the third security management data is higher than the security level of the fourth security management data.

In one possible implementation, as shown in fig. 4, when the fourth storage unit 221 includes:

a fifth storage unit 2210 disposed on the circuit substrate for storing fifth security management data;

a sixth storage unit 2211 for storing sixth security management data; wherein the security level of the fifth security management data is higher than the security level of the sixth security management data.

The sixth storage unit includes at least one of a storage unit built in the removable storage medium and other storage units.

The security level corresponding to the fifth and sixth security management data is related to the security level of the corresponding user, and the security level of the user related to the fifth security management data is higher than the security level of the sixth security management data.

In one possible implementation, when the sixth storage unit 2211 includes:

a seventh storage unit 2212, provided in the removable storage medium, for storing seventh security management data; an eighth storage unit 2213 for storing eighth security management data; wherein the seventh security management data has a higher security level than the eighth security management data.

The eighth storage unit 2213 may be the other storage units.

The security levels corresponding to the seventh and eighth security management data are related to the security levels of the corresponding users, and the security level of the user related to the seventh security management data is higher than the security level of the eighth security management data.

The security level of the security management data related to the user is related to the user identity, and the storage units in which various types of security management data are stored are determined according to the user identity information and the security levels corresponding to the storage units.

The security level of the user may be determined based on the user information in combination with a correspondence relationship between pre-stored pre-set user information and pre-set security level information, wherein the user information may be directly acquired from the image forming apparatus side, or may be acquired from another computer device communicating with the image forming apparatus, or the correspondence relationship may be stored in the image forming apparatus or another computer device communicating with the image forming apparatus, so that the security level information of the user may be directly acquired by the image forming apparatus, thereby determining the security level of the security management data related to the user, or the security level data of the user may be acquired by the image forming apparatus through communication with a computer device connected thereto, thereby determining the security level of the security management data related to the user, and then the storage unit corresponding to the security management data may be determined based on the correspondence relationship between the pre-stored representation storage unit and the security level.

In the embodiment of the application, in the image forming apparatus, security management data with different security levels are stored in different types of storage units according to characteristics of the different types of storage units, so that difficulty in attacking the security management data stored in each storage unit arranged in the image forming apparatus is increased.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 6, the image forming apparatus provided by the present application is provided with memories including a memory inside a main control chip of the image forming apparatus, an external general memory, a memory inside a chip on a main control board or other circuit board, a removable storage medium, and other storage media, and security management data stored in a corresponding image forming apparatus includes security management data a, b, c, d, and e, and when the security management data is stored, the security management data a is stored in the memory inside the main control chip, the security management data b is stored in the external general memory, the security management data c is stored in the memory inside the chip on the main control board or other circuit board, the security management data d is stored in the removable storage medium, and the security management data e is stored in the other storage media, wherein the security management data is sorted from high to low in order of security level into the security management data a, the security management data b, the security management data c, the security management data d, and the security management data e.

The memory in the main control chip of the image forming apparatus, the external general memory, the memory in the main control board or on another circuit board, the removable storage medium, and the storage units in another storage medium are respectively connected to the first storage unit 21, the third storage unit 220, the fifth storage unit 2210, the seventh storage unit 2212, and the eighth storage unit 2213.

Note that the storage unit provided in the image forming apparatus may be only a part of the storage unit, and the present application is not limited thereto.

For the storage of the safety management data, the encryption can be performed by adopting an encryption mode of a corresponding level according to the safety level of the safety management data.

Furthermore, the security level of each type of storage unit can also be set according to the data read-write capability, and the memory can be generally provided with a readable-write partition capable of reading and writing data, a read-only partition only allowing data to be read, and a write-only partition only allowing data to be written according to different data read-write capabilities, so that the security management data with higher security level can be stored in the read-only partition to avoid malicious rewriting of the data.

In addition, different security policies may also be set for the security management data stored in different memories, specifically from the perspective of access control, transmission control, auditing, and so on.

For the access of the safety management data and the access of the safety management data with relatively high safety level, user identity authentication can be set, and the data is allowed to be accessed only after the user identity authentication meets the preset condition; for example, before the security management data is written into the storage unit included in the removable storage medium, the user may be prompted, and after the user confirms, the data may be written into the removable storage medium.

Specifically, the user identity authentication specifically means that after the user identity is authenticated to be legal, whether the user has the authority to execute the access of the corresponding security management data is further judged; the user identification specifically refers to judging whether the identity of the user is legal or not.

The transmission channel is reliable for the transmission of safety management data with relatively high safety level, and is stable for the transmission of safety management data with relatively low safety level, wherein the transmission channel specifically refers to a transmission channel formed by connecting other computer equipment and an image forming device, and comprises a transmission channel formed by connecting the two through a USB wire and a transmission channel formed by connecting the two through a wired/wireless network, wherein when the connection mode between the two is a wired/wireless network connection mode, different communication protocols are adopted, the reliability of the transmission channels is different, and under a normal condition, the transmission channel formed by connecting the two through the USB wire is high in stability, the transmission channel corresponding to the communication protocol with relatively high safety level is reliable by adopting a network connection mode, and therefore, the transmission channel is reliable for the transmission of the safety management data with relatively high safety level, and the transmission channel is stable for the transmission of the safety management data with relatively low safety level.

In one possible implementation, for the security management data with a relatively high security level, the event related to the security management data may be recorded to form an audit log, so as to facilitate subsequent tracing.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 7, for the security management data with the highest security level, user identity authentication is required when data access is performed; when data storage is carried out, the highest-level encryption mode is adopted; when data transmission is carried out, a transmission channel is required to be reliable; events that may be involved are also logged to form an audit log for subsequent traceability.

Aiming at the safety management data with higher safety level, user identity authentication is needed when data access is carried out; when data storage is carried out, a higher-level encryption mode is adopted; when data transmission is carried out, a transmission channel is required to be stable; in addition, the safety management data can be stored in the read-only partition, and the data is prevented from being maliciously rewritten.

Aiming at the safety management data with the next highest safety level, user identity authentication is required when data access is carried out; when data storage is carried out, a common-grade encryption mode is adopted; when data transmission is performed, the transmission channel is required to be stable.

Aiming at the safety management data with a common safety level, user confirmation is needed when data access is carried out; when data storage is carried out, non-plaintext storage is required.

Therefore, different security policies are set for the security management data with different security levels, so that the problem of information security caused by random access of the security management data is avoided.

As shown in fig. 8, an embodiment of the present application also provides an image formation control method including:

s901: acquiring safety management data corresponding to a preset user;

s902: acquiring security level data corresponding to a preset user;

s903: and storing the safety management data in a storage unit corresponding to the safety level based on the safety level data.

The present application does not limit the occurrence order of S901 and S902.

The main execution body of the method is the image forming device, in particular an image forming control unit built in the image forming device.

In S901, the image forming apparatus may directly obtain the security management data corresponding to the preset user, or may obtain the security management data corresponding to the preset user from a computer device communicating with the image forming apparatus.

In S902, the security level data of the preset user may be determined based on the preset user information in combination with a correspondence between the preset user information and the preset security level information, where the preset user information may be directly obtained from the image forming apparatus side, or may be obtained from another computer device in communication with the image forming apparatus, or the correspondence may be stored in the image forming apparatus or another computer device in communication with the image forming apparatus, so that the image forming apparatus may directly obtain the security level information of the user, thereby determining the security level of the security management data related to the user, or the image forming apparatus may obtain the security level data of the user through communication with a computer device connected thereto, thereby determining the security level of the security management data related to the user.

In S903, based on the security level data of the preset user, a storage unit corresponding to the security management data corresponding to the preset user is determined in combination with a pre-stored correspondence between the characterization storage unit and the security level.

In the application, the security management data with different security levels are stored in the storage units with different security levels, so that the difficulty of attacking the security management data stored in each storage unit arranged in the image forming device is increased.

An embodiment of the present application provides an image formation control apparatus, including:

the first acquisition unit is used for acquiring safety management data corresponding to a preset user;

the second acquisition unit is used for acquiring the security level data corresponding to the preset user;

and the control unit is used for storing the safety management data in a storage unit corresponding to the safety level based on the safety level data.

In a possible embodiment, the control unit is specifically configured to determine the storage unit based on the safety level data and a pre-stored safety level representing a preset storage unit and corresponding to the preset storage unit.

The embodiment of the application provides an image forming device which comprises the image forming control device.

As shown in fig. 9, the present embodiment provides an electronic device 400, which includes a memory 420 and a processor 410, the memory 420 is used for storing information including program instructions, the processor 410 is used for controlling execution of the program instructions, and the program instructions are loaded by the processor and executed to implement the steps of the above-mentioned embodiment of the image forming control method. To avoid repetition, it is not repeated herein. Alternatively, the computer program is executed by the processor 410 to implement the functions of the models/units applied to the image forming control apparatus 1000 in the embodiments, and for avoiding redundancy, the description is omitted here.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that fig. 9 is merely an example of an electronic device 400 and does not constitute a limitation of the computer device 400 and may include more or fewer components than shown, or some components may be combined, or different components, e.g., the electronic device 400 may also include input-output devices, network access devices, buses, etc.

The Processor 410 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), other general purpose Processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other Programmable logic device, a discrete Gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or the like. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

The storage 420 may be an internal storage unit of the electronic device 400, such as a hard disk or a memory of the electronic device 400.

The memory 420 may also be an external storage device of the electronic device 400, such as a plug-in hard disk, a Smart Media Card (SMC), a Secure Digital (SD) Card, a Flash memory Card (Flash Card), and the like provided on the electronic device 400. Or memory on a server, in which the computer program 430 is stored, may be transferred by a network to other memory modules inside the electronic device, enabling the processor 410 to load and run the computer program 430. Further, the memory 420 may also include both internal storage units of the electronic device 400 and external storage devices. The memory 420 is used to store computer programs and other programs and data required by the electronic device 400. The memory 420 may also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elements and algorithm steps of the examples described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both, and that the components and steps of the examples have been described in a functional general in the foregoing description for the purpose of illustrating clearly the interchangeability of hardware and software. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the technical solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (15)

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a first storage unit, arranged inside the image forming control unit, for storing first security management data;

a second storage unit provided outside the image formation control unit, for storing second security management data; wherein a security level of the first security management data is higher than a security level of the second security management data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second storage unit comprises:

a third storage unit included in the flash memory for storing third security management data;

a fourth storage unit for storing fourth security management data;

wherein a security level of the third security management data is higher than a security level of the fourth security management data.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fourth storage unit comprises:

the fifth storage unit is arranged on the circuit substrate and used for storing fifth safety management data;

a sixth storage unit configured to store sixth security management data;

wherein a security level of the fifth security management data is higher than a security level of the sixth security management data.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the sixth storage unit comprises:

and a seventh storage unit included in the removable storage medium, for storing seventh security management data.

An eighth storage unit configured to store eighth security management data;

wherein a security level of the seventh security management data is higher than a security level of the eighth security management data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

and the image forming control unit is specifically used for executing user identity authentication, and when the user identity authentication is in accordance with expectation, the first storage unit is accessed to obtain the first safety management data.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, comprising:

and the image forming control unit is specifically used for executing user identity authentication, and when the user identity authentication is in accordance with expectation, the third storage unit is accessed to obtain the third safety management data.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, comprising:

and the image forming control unit is specifically configured to execute user identification, and when the user identification is in accordance with expectation, access the fifth storage unit to acquire the fifth security management data.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second storage unit includes at least one of a storage unit built in a flash memory, a storage unit built in another control unit provided on the circuit substrate, and a storage unit built in a removable storage medium.

9. An image formation control method characterized by comprising:

acquiring safety management data corresponding to a preset user;

acquiring security level data corresponding to the preset user;

and storing the safety management data in a storage unit corresponding to the safety level based on the safety level data.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the storing the security management data in a storage unit corresponding to the security level based on the security level data specifically comprises:

and determining a storage unit corresponding to the safety level based on the safety level data and the pre-stored safety levels representing the preset storage unit and corresponding to the preset storage unit.

11. An image formation control apparatus, comprising:

the first acquisition unit is used for acquiring safety management data corresponding to a preset user;

the second acquisition unit is used for acquiring the security level data corresponding to the preset user;

and the control unit is used for storing the safety management data in a storage unit corresponding to the safety level based on the safety level data.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the control unit is configured to determine the storage unit based on the safety-level data in combination with pre-stored characterization pre-set safety-level data in combination with a pre-set correspondence between storage units.

13. An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising the image formation control apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 12.

14. A computer storage medium comprising a stored computer program, wherein an apparatus in which the storage medium is located is controlled to execute the image formation control method according to any one of claims 9 to 10 when the program is executed.

15. An electronic device comprising a memory for storing information including program instructions and a processor for controlling execution of the program instructions, characterized in that:

the program instructions are loaded and executed by a processor to implement the steps of the image formation control method of any one of claims 9 to 10.

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